WW1 medal found in sewer want to send to family

[1crista]

Hi All
A relative use to work on the sewers in Manchester and found a WW1 medal, I have contacted the war graves commission who have only one extra piece of information and that is that the soldier was born in Manchester, they also suggested I contact the newspapers to see if an obituary was recorded. email sent MEN.

His name was Private Charles Williams, Commemoration: YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL, I do not have an age or date of birth.

Any advice you can give would be appreciated.

[Redroger]

From the information on the edge of the medal you should be able to see his service number and name. With this you will be able to turn up his medal card in the National Archives, either in person, or on line. If you are lucky his service history, also at Kew will have survived, though 60% + were lost in the blitz. With this information find him and his family in the 1901 and 1911 censuses and proceed from there. Good luck!

[Gwil]

1crista
Welcome to Rootschat.

Post the service number here and we'll have a look at Soldiers Died Great War which may help in pointing you in the right direction.

Gwil

[1crista]

Thanks for the replies
this is all I have

Private  WILLIAMS, CHARLES
Unit: 2nd Bn.
Regiment: King's Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment)
Service No: 8291
Date of Death: 1 May 1915
Commemoration: YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL
Belgium
Addenda Panel 58.

 

[1crista]

found the medal card but it does not provide any more information, looked on ancestry uk and guessed at the age range but thats a bit dangerous, pretty common name Charles Williams, lots on the census, births and deaths.

[mmm45]

Born and Enlisted Manchester...His number suggests Pre war Regular soldier so maybe have a check on 1911 census at Kings Own Lancaster Regiment Barracks see if hes on....Local newspapers MAY have an obituary around the 1915 date.

Ady

[Wendi]

Hi 1crista and Welcome to Rootschat !!!

That is a lovely thought, to try to reunite the medal with the family.

You might like to post onThe Manchester Regiment Forum under the section for Queries on Soldiers from the Manchester Area as someone might have already come across him in their research

Wendi 

[ainslie]

The Kings Own have their own museum in Lancaster and a very helpful curator.  He may be able to help with your query, and if you want a home for the medal, that could be it if no relatives are found.  Their website is:
http://www.kingsownmuseum.plus.com/

A

[1crista]

Thank you all for the brilliant support

Ady do you know if there is a website for archived newspapers, if there isnt I will be travelling to manchester in a couple of months and believe that the main library may have them on tape. I did find him on the 1911 census giving me a year of birth 1885, I did not print it because I thought there would be no more information, just a list of names but if you think there will be more let me know because i have to pay a subscription, so he was just 30 when he died but could have been married.

Wendi thanks for that will have a look later

A I have contacted the museum but they have no more than I already have but could give it to them as a last resort

this is all good training for researching my family tree
crista